Authors Interviewing Characters: Kimberly Belle

THE EXPAT AFFAIR

An American expat‘s startling discovery plunges her into the glamorous but deadly world of Amsterdam’s diamond industry.

Following a nasty divorce, Rayna Dumont came to Amsterdam for a fresh start. She’s never been the type for a one-night stand, but this move is all about adventure, and Xander is handsome and successful and more than willing to go along for the ride. Until the morning after, when Rayna finds him dead on the shower floor and millions of dollars’ worth of diamonds missing from his safe.

From her lavish home in the heart of the city, Willow Prins is captivated by the news. Her husband is Xander’s former boss and heir to a diamond house, and the scandal strains their already-rocky marriage. As the house comes under scrutiny, Willow wonders if her life is about to implode—and how much of the blame she can place on Rayna. Soon, Willow and Rayna are dragged into the dark and dangerous underbelly of the diamond market, where they’ll have to uncover the truth to survive. Who killed Xander? Where are the missing diamonds? And who can you trust in a strange and unfamiliar city thousands of miles from home?

Diamonds, Dead Men, and Other Awkward Introductions
Moderated over wine and mild suspicion at a fictional café on the Prinsengracht

Kimberly Belle: Ladies, thank you for agreeing to meet. I know you’ve both had… a week.

Rayna Dumont: That’s one way to put it. Another way is: everything that could go wrong did. Spectacularly. And then caught fire.

Willow Prins: Don’t be so dramatic. Only a few people died, and their deaths were fictional.

Rayna: A few is plenty, don’t you think?

Kimberly: Speaking of—which one of you wants to explain how a perfectly harmless night out turned into murder and missing diamonds?

Rayna: Okay but first I’d like to go on record saying I did not take those diamonds. Or kill Xander. Or know what I was doing for any of what came after, which now that I think about it has kind of become my brand.

Willow: And yet you stayed in Amsterdam. That was pretty ballsy.

Rayna: I couldn’t exactly leave with Detective Dutchman watching my every move. But also, I kind of love it here. 

Kimberly: Let’s back up. Rayna, you came to Amsterdam looking for a fresh start. You left behind a failed marriage, a messy life. What were you hoping to find?

Rayna: Adventure. Fun. A sexy stranger to kiss by the canals. Instead, I woke up next to a corpse and with a murder accusation. Ten out of ten, do not recommend.

Kimberly: Willow, your life seems a little more stable. Married to a man who’s heir to a diamond fortune, a gorgeous little boy who stands to inherit everything …

Willow: It’s amazing what a little sparkle can hide. A crumbling marriage, for example. Or the fact that your mother-in-law treats you like an American handbag—cheap, unfashionable, and ultimately replaceable.

Kimberly: So what brought the two of you together?

Rayna: Desperation. Suspicion. Shared trauma. 

Willow: It wasn’t a friendship so much as a high-stakes alliance. Trust was optional, at least in the beginning.

Kimberly: And now?

Willow: [glancing at Rayna] Let’s just say we’ve earned each other’s respect. And maybe an occasional shared bottle of wine.

Rayna: Not to mention matching emotional scars. We’re very chic that way.

Kimberly: Final question—without giving any spoilers—what would you say to someone considering a spontaneous move to a foreign city?

Rayna: Learn the language and the culture. Pack light so you can make a speedy exit whenever necessary. And never, ever trust a man who keeps a safe crammed with diamonds hidden in his walls.

Willow: And if you find yourself with a bag of stolen diamonds and no alibi? Call a lawyer and then call me. I know this city’s secrets.

Kimberly: Honestly? You two kind of terrify me, but in the best possible way. 

BUY THE EXPAT AFFAIR HERE

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Kimberly Belle is the Edgar Award winning, USA Today & internationally bestselling author with over one million copies sold worldwide. Her titles include The Paris Widow, The Marriage Lie, a Goodreads Choice Awards semifinalist for Best Mystery & Thriller, and the co-authored #1 Audible Original, Young Rich Widows series. Kimberly’s novels have been optioned for film and television and selected by LibraryReads and Amazon & Apple Books Editors as Best Books of the Month, and the International Thriller Writers as nominee for best book of the year. She divides her time between Atlanta and Amsterdam. 

Keep up with Kimberly on Facebook, Instagram & TikTok (@KimberlyBelleBooks) or via her website at www.kimberlybellebooks.com.

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: Interviews, On Writing